Tips help keep Easter eggceptional

Easter egg hunts can be fun and safe if a few simple guidelines are followed.

• Use grade AA or A eggs with clean, uncracked shells that have been stored in the refrigerator at 40 degrees or below.

• Refrigerate raw shell eggs at home in their original carton until ready to decorate.

• Keep everything clean. Wash utensils, countertops and other surfaces that come in contact with raw eggs. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water before and after handling raw eggs or cooked eggs that will be eaten.

• If you hollow out eggshells by blowing the raw egg through holes in the shell, you could expose yourself to Salmonella from raw egg touching your mouth. To be safe, use pasteurized shell eggs if they are available.

If not, sanitize the outside of the egg before it touches your mouth by carefully washing the egg in hot water and rinse in a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per half cup of water.

If you plan to use the raw eggs you have blown out of their shells, cook and eat them right away — don’t try to store them.

• Cool boiled eggs immediately in cold water and store in a refrigerator. Discard eggs whose shells crack during cooking.

• Use food coloring or food-grade dyes to color eggs if they will be eaten.

• After coloring, store eggs in a clean container and refrigerate. Cooked eggs stored in the original carton that held raw eggs may contaminate them with bacteria.

• Care should be used in choosing hiding places for Easter eggs. Make sure to avoid areas where the eggs might come into contact with pets, wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects or lawn chemicals.

• Do not eat eggs that have been out of refrigeration for more than two hours (less if in hot sun).

• Use hard-cooked eggs within one week.

If you’re planning to decorate Easter eggs, following these egg safety tips can help you and your family avoid an unwanted foodborne illness.

For more information and for answers to food safety questions, contact Edie McSherry, CSU Larimer County Extension, at (970) 498-6008.